Markets

Following Roth & Rau’s announcement that its third quarter 2011 has significantly suffered due to the weak solar market conditions, Meyer Burger Technology AG has said it will not go ahead with its planned control and/or profit transfer agreement.

After a tumultuous first half, with huge price drops and uncertainty on just about everything, the solar market is beginning to see some positive signs in terms of demand pick up. Overall, a growth of 20 percent over 2010 is forecast for this year. However, the 2012 market looks flat.

Germany’s Bundesnetzagentur reports that 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of newly installed photovoltaic capacity was added to the country’s grid in the third quarter (Q3) of 2011. Overall, 3.35 GW has been installed this year to date. Predictions are six GW could be reached by year-end.

The photovoltaic giants are not immune to the current market conditions, as has been frequently witnessed throughout 2011. Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited is the most recent company to jump on the guidance revision bandwagon, as it prepares to announce its third quarter (Q3) 2011 financial results.

According to reports, Chinese power plant developer, CECEP Solar Energy Technology Co. Ltd has halted development of a planned $500 million U.S. photovoltaic project, due to the anti-dumping petition submitted by SolarWorld.

The Italy-based Moncada Group has formed a joint venture with South African investment and development company, Solar Capital to build a large-scale solar project.

According to new research released, China’s non-residential photovoltaic pipeline is standing at 16 gigawatts (GW). In 2011, the country’s newly installed capacity is expected to reach over 1.8 GW. The building mount sector is also projected to grow.

As President Barack Obama arrived at the G20 summit in France on November 3, the acrimonious Solyndra face-off reached a flashpoint in the U.S. Congress.

Amongst a range of announcements, thin-film manufacturer First Solar has announced that it will “postpone commissioning” of its 250-megawatt (MW) Vietnam factory. The announcement was made only hours after the inauguration of its second factory (FF02) at its Frankfurt (Oder) site in Germany.

Another victim of this year’s turbulent solar market, solar cell manufacturer, SunPower has said it will be implementing a restructuring program in the fourth quarter (Q4)of this year. Having missed its 3Q 2011 revenue and margin expectations, it has significantly revised its Q4 guidance downwards.